Violence spike in Worcester attributed to cuts, reduction in programs

Sunday

Jan 13, 2013 at 6:00 AMJan 13, 2013 at 7:56 AM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme says that spikes in the city's total shooting incidents in 2004, 2005 and 2010 are directly related to the city's ability to staff and fund the department's anti-violence programs.

In 2004 and 2005, there were 29 and 33 violent incidents involving guns in Worcester, respectively. The numbers steadily declined for several years, when police implemented a number of strategies to combat the violence. But the number spiked again, to 29 incidents in 2010.

Layoffs and a reduction in funds caused the Police Department to cut some strategies in 2010 — including the Summer Impact Program, in which a group of officers was assigned to nighttime summer shifts with the sole goal of curbing violent crime.

The spike in shooting seen in 2010 was a result of the loss of such programs and strategies, Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said.

But since 2010 the department, with input from all ranks, has created specific teams and strategies, like the Shooting Response Team, a group of investigators assigned specifically to investigate all violent incidents involving guns; and the creation of Tactical Response Areas, in which police spend extra time in neighborhoods with higher numbers of shooting incidents. The Summer Impact Program is back as well.

Now the department has 412 sworn personnel, a number much lower than years past. But the department has redeployed its resources to staff programs focused on violent crime, he said, after it became apparent that they were effective.

Statistics show there were 20 shootings in 2011, five fatal; and 21 in 2012, five fatal. “I think long term we're confident we can keep a lid on the gun violence and violence in general in the community with the resources we have, and also with our law enforcement partnerships and the other work in the community,” Chief Gemme said. “We have the flexibility and resources to respond when we see these trends.”

The department reviews crime statistics, hot spot maps of criminal activity and listens to front-line officers about spikes and trends in crime. All that information is used to give areas and crime trends extra attention through the specialized strategies.

When police officials saw a spike in shootings last month, the Shooting Response Team was placed into the hot spots and also focused on individuals associated with the shootings. The team is comprised of investigators in the department focused on gun crimes and other violence.

There were four shootings in December, an increase from the one shooting seen in that month in 2011. The SRT will remain out until mid-January to stop this recent spike, the chief said.

Any time there is a shooting the community looks to the Police Department and its response. But police can only do so much, Chief Gemme said. The courts, in particular judges, have to grasp the seriousness of gun violence while sentencing offenders, the chief said. The city still sees fewer violent crimes with guns than cities comparable in size, he said.

The chief was critical of Worcester Superior Court Judge Richard T. Tucker's recent sentence given to Kevin Jones, a 19-year-old city man accused of firing shots near a Little League Field in 2011.

Mr. Jones was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in the House of Correction, with two years to be served. The balance of the sentence was suspended for two years with probation. The prosecutor wanted a four- to five-year sentence.

“Why isn't this individual in jail for four to five years? How do we prevent gun violence in our community?” the chief said. “The police can do their jobs, but the courts need to take this seriously.”

Longer probation terms could send a message, but solid jail sentences would also show those involved in gun violence that serious time will come, the chief said.

“One of the issues that we face is that when we have instances of gun violence a lot of times these individuals are back out on the streets,” Chief Gemme said.

Investigators from the SRT also focus on stabbings and slashing attacks. Police officials believe the work done in those attacks has contributed to a solid decrease.

Statistics show there were 105 stabbing/slashing attacks in 2012, a 23.9 percent decrease from the 138 such incidents in 2011.

“Part of the Shooting Response Team is not just to focus on gun violence but also violence when it involves individuals that are well-known to the police department, and locations,” Chief Gemme said. “We are going to have a certain amount of stabbings. We know that, being in a major city. We believe that if we put police resources in the locations, times and on individuals that are involved with this type of activity, we are going to have an impact.”

Most of those involved in the violent crimes in the city have a background in gangs, the drug trade and the gun trade or are involved in all three categories, the chief said.

When the department had to make cuts in the Traffic Division, new strategies had to be implemented there as well. Traffic officers began focusing on pedestrian safety and traffic around schools and intersections known for accidents.

There were six traffic fatalities in 2012, a number cut in half after there were 12 in 2011. The number of pedestrian fatalities decreased by one; there were five in 2011 and four last year.

“Over the long term they have been able to have an impact,” Chief Gemme said, noting there were 18 fatal accidents in 2004.